OVER 7,000 trees are to be planted at Marwell Zoo to provide food for resident animals and habitat for local wildlife.

In collaboration with the Woodland Trust, the zoo’s team based in Colden Common will seed around eight acres of forest.

Once it begins to mature, animals such as giraffe, okapi and bongo will be provided with twigs and foliage known as ‘browse’ which they naturally eat in the wild.

Dr Ollie Szyszka, animal nutritionist at Marwell, said: “Browse has a number of health and behavioural benefits for animals. It provides the much-needed fibre required by these species to maintain a healthy gut and efficient digestion.

“It helps promote healthy teeth and gums and stimulates the natural process of rumination in ruminant species. Behaviourally, it helps keep animals occupied and prolongs feeding time.”

The project is part of the Woodland Trust’s flagship MOREwoods scheme, which began in 2010 and has seen more than 2,075 hectares of woodland and the planting of more than two million trees across the UK.

The charity has supplied Marwell with 5,825 trees, a mix of alder, field maple, goat willow, small leaved lime, oak, silver birch and wild cherry, and 1,450 hazel shrubs, plus canes and spirals for protection as they become established.

Luke said: “There’s a growing interest in planting trees and shrubs for browse, partly because of the savings that can be made on feed but mainly because of the nutritional and medicinal benefits it brings to the animals.

“Willow for example is nature’s aspirin, containing salicin, the active ingredient in the familiar bathroom cabinet remedy.

“We’ve chosen a mix of species which will readily coppice and provide plenty of annual regrowth as well as plenty of palatability to tickle a bongo’s tastebuds or satisfy the hungriest giraffe. We’ve also chosen species similar to those in woods next to the farm to ensure suitability for soil type, hydrology and maximum survival rate.”

The trees will also benefit the environment, helping to improve soil stability and air quality, slowing the flow of flood water and providing a home for wildlife.

Dr Martin Wilkie, conservation biologist at Marwell, said: “Not only will the production of forage for the zoo be a huge benefit, the creation of woodland will generate diverse woodland habitat. The varied species mix and structure will benefit insect pollinators, birds and other wildlife communities. The rough grassland beneath will provide refuge for small mammals, supporting our resident Barn owl population.”